Crystal Palace Signs Israel International Khalaili for £21m
Crystal Palace have made their latest statement of intent in the transfer market, sealing a deal for highly rated Israel international Khalaili from Union Saint-Gilloise.
The 21-year-old joins for a reported £21m on a contract running until 2031, a long-term bet on a player whose career has accelerated at remarkable speed over the past three seasons.
From Haifa prodigy to title-winner in Belgium
Capped 16 times by Israel, Khalaili first broke through at Maccabi Haifa, where he delivered 15 goals in 52 appearances and helped secure the 2023 Super Cup. Those numbers, and his habit of turning up in big moments, quickly pushed him onto European radars.
A move to Union Saint-Gilloise followed, and his rise barely paused. In Belgium he played his part in ending a 90-year wait for a league title in the 2024-25 campaign, then backed it up by lifting the Belgian Cup last season. Two major trophies in two years, in two different competitions, for a club rediscovering its glory days – the kind of grounding that hardens a young attacker fast.
Just as important for Palace, he is not a one-position signing. Comfortable operating as a winger or dropping deeper as a full-back, he offers tactical flexibility that fits neatly with the Premier League’s relentless demands.
“A new challenge” and a clear target
Speaking to the club’s official channels after completing the move to England’s top flight, Khalaili made it clear this is the stage he has been working towards.
“I have followed the Premier League for a long time, it's a new challenge for me,” he said, welcoming the step up rather than shying away from it.
His focus quickly turned to his new home in South London and what he believes he can add.
“And Crystal Palace I like, because I have followed them for a long time. They have deserved to win three trophies and I want to do more.”
Ambition, not nostalgia, drove those words. He arrives talking about silverware, not survival.
Sage backed with depth and variety
This deal is another piece in what is becoming a deliberate, layered rebuild by the Palace hierarchy, aimed at giving Sage depth and variety across the pitch for the season ahead.
Khalaili is the club’s fifth signing of the summer. He follows defensive pair Oscar Mingueza and Takehiro Tomiyasu, both secured on free transfers, moves that quietly strengthened the back line without blowing the budget.
Up front, the reshaping has been bolder. Dwight McNeil has come in as part of a swap deal that saw Brennan Johnson depart, a calculated trade designed to tweak the profile of the attack rather than simply add numbers. Evann Guessand has also returned on a season-long loan from Aston Villa, restoring another familiar option to the forward line.
Now Khalaili arrives to tie several of those strands together: a wide player who can press, create, and cover defensively when required, with a track record of delivering in pressure situations.
Selhurst Park has long fed off energy and edge. With a young Israel international fresh from winning titles and cups in Belgium, and a squad being carefully retooled around him, the question is no longer whether Palace are building – it’s how high they intend to climb.
